This pivot examines how the Theatre Olympics, born in 1995, have served to enrich each host country’s culture, community, and foreign relations. Looking at the host country’s political, social, and cultural circumstances, it considers how the festival expands the notion of Olympism beyond its application to the Olympic Games, expressing the spirit of Olympism and interculturalism in each country’s distinct cultural language.
It emphasizes the festival’s development over the twenty years of its existence and how each festival’s staging has reflected the national identity, theatre tradition, and cultural interest of the hosting country, as well as how each festival director’s artistic principle has attempted to accomplish cultural exchange through their productions.
Jae Kyoung Kim, completed her PhD in Theatre studies at the University of Georgia, USA and is currently a teaching professor at Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea. Her research is primarily focused on international theatre festivals, intercultural theatre, and East-Asian theatre.
This pivot examines how the Theatre Olympics, born in 1995, have served to enrich each host country’s culture, community, and foreign relations. Looking at the host country’s political, social, and cultural circumstances, it considers how the festival expands the notion of Olympism beyond its application to the Olympic Games, expressing the spirit of Olympism and interculturalism in each country’s distinct cultural language.
It also emphasizes the festival’s development over the twenty years of its existence and how each festival’s staging has reflected the national identity, theatre tradition, and cultural interest of the hosting country at that time, as well as how each festival director’s artistic principle has attempted to accomplish cultural exchange through their productions.
Examines the six Theatre Olympics to date: the first in Delphi, Greece (1995), the second in Shizuoka, Japan; (1999), the third in Moscow, Russia (2001), the fourth in Istanbul, Turkey (2006), the fifth in Seoul, Korea (2010), and the sixth in Beijing, China (2014) Gives readers a practical idea of trends in contemporary world theatre through the lens of a unique literary festival Considers the links between theatre, cultural, political and economic exchange and on how specific festivals reflect the political and cultural situation of the country
Jae Kyoung Kim
International Theatre and The Theatre Olympics Olympism and world theatre Trends in contemporary world theatre Cultural exchange and Theatre National identity and theatre tradition International Relations and Cultural exchange